Passionate about IP! Since June 2003 the IPKat weblog has covered copyright, patent, trade mark, info-tech and privacy/confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective. The team is David Brophy, Birgit Clark, Merpel, Jeremy Phillips, Eleonora Rosati, Darren Smyth, Annsley Merelle Ward and Neil J. Wilkof. You're welcome to read, post comments and participate in our community. You can email the Kats here

For the half-year to 30 June 2015, the IPKat's regular team is supplemented by contributions from guest bloggers Suleman Ali, Tom Ohta and Valentina Torelli.

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Wednesday, 13 October 2004

The Telegraph reports today that Arsenal's German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has received an official reprimand for wearing Nike gloves instead of the gloves manufactured by the German international football team's sponsors adidas. This offence occurred last Saturday when Germany played Iran. According to this report

"An official warning letter was handed to Lehmann making it clear that if he wore anything but official kit in future, his international career would be over. He is unhappy with the censure but knows that he could miss out on the squad for the World Cup in Germany in 2006".

The IPKat approves of sponsorship as a harmless and mutually beneficial way of aiding others while raising brand profiles. However, he does not believe that the commercial interests of sponsors should be considered more important than the ability of any specialist -- be he or she a goalkeeper, a mountaineer or a surgeon -- to select and use the equipment deemed most appropriate for the job.